Woman feeds drunk husband to folding couch

A drunk husband in St. Petersburg has been eaten by a folding couch after his angry wife kicked the lever that operates the stow-away furniture. Reuters reports that a 'private rescue service' was employed to remove the man's (dead) body from the jaws of the hungry soft furnishing.

What's a 'private rescue service'?

Metal thieves nick slides and peals

I just saw a story about how thieves in Japan, prompted by rising metal prices, have been nicking children's slides, the roofs off public toilets and those little thingies that hold incense on graves. Yes, those Japanese certainly are resourceful. But Lithuanians got up to such pranks first.

Last year, the clock tower that stands near Vilnius Cathedral was renovated, and light-fingered scallywags took the opportunity to nick the copper cables that made the bell actually operate.

I'm not sure if the bells are ringing again yet. I don't hang around listening for it, to be honest. Nor do I hang around the kiddy slides, obviously, so I can't report on their status either. But it looks like anything made of metal is in danger. Fortunately, the statue of the Iron Wolf is made of stone, so that should be safe.

• Let The Bells Ring photo from Flickr by rcubed.


• Metal thieves steal kids' slides, toilet roof [Reuters].

Sofia: One-armed bandit arrested. Again

A one-armed bandit in Sofia has been collared and clinked by Bulgaria's finest for attempting to pinch a car. It's the seventeenth time he has been locked up for such one-armed robbery. (We're not sure if handcuffs were used. Probably not.)

Ananova reports that Rumen Dimitrov, 50, has clocked up 16 previous convictions for his light-fingered crimes dating back to 1973. A policeman is reported to have said "He's probably Bulgaria's worst criminal." Must be a safe country, then.